Communication and Interaction With Semiautonomous Ground Vehicles by Force Control Steering

Area of Science:

• Automotive Engineering
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Control Systems

Background:

• Full vehicle automation is a long-term goal, with shared-control and semi-autonomous driving being nearer-term objectives.
• Novel steering control devices are needed for partially automated vehicles where machine intelligence shares control with the human driver.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and experimentally validate the use of a force control steering wheel (FCSW) for shared-control driving scenarios.
• To investigate the adaptability of human drivers to FCSW technology and evaluate its impact on steering performance.

Main Methods:

• Human participants drove in a simulated environment using an FCSW, which detects applied torque instead of rotating.
• Experiments tested different transfer functions translating driver torque to wheel angle, including fractional order functions.
• Control transition experiments were conducted comparing FCSW with conventional steering wheels.

Main Results:

• Human participants adapted quickly to the FCSW and demonstrated smooth vehicle control.
• Fractional order transfer functions significantly improved steering stability and control accuracy with the FCSW.
• The FCSW facilitated effective control transitions between human and machine.

Conclusions:

• Force control steering wheels are advantageous for shared-control driving, offering enhanced stability and accuracy.
• Human drivers can readily adapt to FCSW technology, paving the way for its integration into semi-autonomous vehicles.
• This technology, realizable via steer-by-wire systems, is a viable step towards more advanced autonomous driving.